Whiteriver American Legion Post 60 Reopens, Leads Arizona in Membership Growth

Commander Dennis Faden has led American Legion Post 60 on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation through lean years and setbacks, but the Oliver-DeClay Post's grand reopening Wednesday placed Whiteriver at the top of a statewide milestone: one of only seven Arizona posts to reach 100 percent of its membership target before the January 1, 2026 deadline set by the Department of Arizona.

The reopening of the post, located at 312 N. Chief Ave. in Whiteriver, drew Rep. Eli Crane, whose District 2 covers the White Mountain Apache Tribe's lands in eastern Arizona. Crane presented honors to Faden, who has served as the post's commander across multiple consecutive terms and whose phone line, (928) 594-0273, has long served as the primary point of contact for veterans across the reservation seeking Legion services.

Post 60 carries the name Oliver-DeClay, honoring veterans who served before the post's current membership could. That legacy matters in a community where access to veterans' services can hinge on whether a local post is open at all. The nearest VA outpatient clinic is in Show Low, roughly an hour away. A VA shuttle picks up veterans at 312 N. Chief Ave. on Wednesdays between 7 and 7:15 a.m., with a later 8 a.m. pickup on the fourth Wednesday of each month, making the post a practical staging point for medical access as much as a civic institution.

The Department of Arizona recognized Post 60 alongside Posts 108, 50, 112, 42, 23, and 141 for hitting full membership strength, an acknowledgment that carries real organizational weight since posts at 100 percent are eligible for a wider range of department programs and resources. For a post serving a tribal community in one of Arizona's most rural counties, that standing opens doors to funding, youth programming, and ceremonial support that underfunded posts cannot access.

Veterans eligible for American Legion membership, having served during a qualifying period of war, can join Post 60 by contacting Faden directly or reaching the post at (928) 338-6090. Annual dues are $35. The post holds its regular meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Chief Avenue location.

For a post that has operated without an auxiliary unit or Sons of the American Legion squadron, reaching full membership without those traditional recruitment pipelines makes the turnaround under Faden's command a genuine organizational achievement, and one the Department of Arizona formally put on record before the new year began.